


Finding an Osprey

by owls4ever



Series: Picking up the Pieces [2]
Category: Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, POV Fenrys (Throne of Glass), Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:54:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25271206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/owls4ever/pseuds/owls4ever
Summary: Fenrys needs something to do and gets sent off to track down Vaughan, in the hopes the missing male will join Aelin's court.
Series: Picking up the Pieces [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2077755
Comments: 8
Kudos: 36





	Finding an Osprey

It is only a short while after the war, and Fenrys is already feeling antsy. He doesn’t like being stuck in Orynth, with nowhere to go and nothing to do.

When Fenrys goes to Aedion for suggestions, the man barely spares him half a glance. He, apparently, is too busy planning his upcoming wedding to help entertain his brother-in-arms. As Fenrys has absolutely no interest in anything to do with weddings, he moves on.

When Fenrys goes to Rowan, the silver-haired male shrugs and points out that the rebuilding effort can always use more hands. A large portion of Orynth is in pieces after the siege, and Perranth is practically razed. The small villages and towns between the two large cities fared just as poorly during Morath’s push towards Orynth.

So Fenrys helps rebuild, starting with Orynth and heading out across the country to help wherever he’s needed. For a while, everything seems fine, and he manages to keep his restlessness at bay. Soon, though, the rebuilding is mostly complete, and Fenrys is gently but firmly shooed out of the way. Once again Fenrys begins to feel restless, and once again Fenrys turns to the other members of Aelin’s court for ideas.

When Fenrys goes to Lysandra, the shifter cocks her head and gives him a piercing look. She suggests he think about roaming the Oakwald as a wolf. Apparently that is how she and Aedion burn off steam while in Orynth. While Fenrys will admit that this seems like a fine plan in the short term, he’s really looking for a long-term engagement that will keep him busy.

When Fenrys goes to Elide - nothing in all the worlds can convince him to ask Lorcan for help - Elide thinks for a while. After giving Fenrys an assessing look, she muses that as he is the Ambassador of Terrasen, perhaps what he needs is to go somewhere else and work on winning over a foreign court. For most of the nearby rulers, the power concentrated in Terrasen is something to fear, envy, and/or covet. Even without the threat of trained Fae and magical gifts worthy of the gods, diplomatic relations have been strained since Adarlan’s conquest of the continent.

Fenrys mulls it over for a while. The Lady of Perranth has a point. He knows Aelin gave him the title so he can get some space and hide from everyone if he needs. He also has a slight suspicion that Aelin thinks he’s the most friendly and likeable of her court, so that might’ve played a part in her decision matrix. Whatever the case, perhaps this is a long-term solution for his restlessness: he can go exploring and voyaging, finding new courts and old ones, creating and strengthening diplomatic ties.

The more he thinks about it, the more he likes it. It will give him time to sort through everything he is dealing with after the war, and he will have something to keep him busy. When Fenrys finally manages to gather the courage to actually ask Aelin, she gives him a measured look before finally nodding slowly. “Of course you can go off to do your job, Fenrys,” she drawls. “I do have a certain, shall we say, mission for you to start with, though.”

Fenrys, standing in front of her, nods. While part of him had hoped to be able to choose where to go and who to deal with, he knows he probably would’ve felt lost and overwhelmed without some form of guidance. Aelin is nowhere near as controlling as Maeve, damn her to a thousand hells, but at least Fenrys had known exactly what he was expected to do. With Aelin he sometimes worries he will misinterpret her loose orders.

“I want you to go north,” Aelin continues. “I know we’ve talked about this before, but one of the original cadre is still unaccounted for. We know Vaughan was sent north to find Lorcan. My guess is he’s somewhere in the mountains with the Wolf Tribe or nearby. I want you to find him and see if he’d be willing to join our court.”

Fenrys nods, processing the information. He hasn’t seen Vaughan in about a year now, which isn’t all that surprising. Maeve’s assignments often took years or decades to finish. Sometimes he forgot that this whole war, starting when the fighting first began, had been maybe six months long. Six months is practically a blink in an immortal’s lifespan.

Fenrys excuses himself and leaves to pack and plan. When Maeve had sent them out to track down Lorcan, he and Gavriel had gone south to Skull’s Bay and Vaughan had gone north. All three knew that Lorcan had escaped to this continent, so Vaughan probably came here somewhere, if only to keep up appearances. Clearly, he found a way to stretch the blood oath, so he could pretend to keep searching. He probably would’ve stayed on this continent, far out of Maeve’s reach, where he could half-ass a search. This far from Maeve, the blood oath would have been much weaker, and Vaughan probably would’ve been able to satisfy its requirements by plotting up ways to kill Lorcan. And, if Fenrys is being honest, Vaughan probably would’ve found that beyond hilarious. Vaughan and Lorcan’s relationship had always been… strained to say the least. The two would oscillate between best friends and worst enemies. They were too similar for any sort of sustainable, stable relationship.

Fenrys decides he’ll start from the coast and work his way inland. Surely someone would’ve noticed a large osprey flying inland? The birds aren’t exactly seen over land very often, so maybe he’ll be able to track Vaughan that way. Although it has been around a year, so who knows? Maybe no one will remember anything useful.

\---

Before long, Fenrys finds himself at a tiny port town about as far north as he can get. Gods, if he’d thought Orynth was cold, it is nothing compared to this. The town is so small he’s honestly not sure it has a name. It’s possible it’s just a tiny fishing village with a harbor, known only to locals and left unmarked on maps. He can’t decide if the idea sounds freeing or terribly lonely. Maybe someday he’ll come to a place like this, where no one knows where he is. The tiny little village does have a tavern, which Fenrys promptly heads for. Once inside the dubiously named _Trelene’s Bosom_ , Fenrys makes for a table in the far corner. He’s never been good at shaking his habits, and he is not going to end up with his back to the door. The _Bosom_ is mostly empty, although that might be because it’s midday, a time when taverns generally only serve travelers and drunks.

As it happens, it isn’t long before someone, a very bored-looking young woman, wanders over and asks what she can help him with. Fenrys requests a pint of ale and a conversation. At the woman’s unimpressed reaction, he winces a little, realizing he probably sounds like a sleaze and a creep. Hastily, he tries to explain that he’s trying to find a friend, and hopes she might be able to help.

The woman gives a long sigh, as if patrons ask her to do such terrible things regularly, before wandering off. It isn’t long before she’s back with his pint and unceremoniously plopping down in the chair in front of him.

“What do you want?” she asks. “You can talk until someone else needs me. I do have to work, you know.”

“Of course, of course,” Fenrys sooths, trying to be charming. He must’ve been a bit out of practice because the woman, if possible, looks even more bored and unimpressed, even starting to border on impatient. Fenrys sighs. Barely into his search and he’s already having difficulties. “Look. I’m trying to find a friend. I haven’t seen him in… a year, maybe? I know he came here somewhere, but I don’t know where he went from there.”

The woman regards him. “Why’re you trying to find this guy?” she finally asks, and Fenrys shrugs.

“Wouldn’t you want to find someone you’ve been friends with for over a century? He’s practically my brother, and I… well, I guess I miss him.”

The woman does a small double take. Fenrys assumes she saw his ears and teeth, but who knows? Maybe she hadn’t realized that as a Fae he was probably at least a century old. “I see. What’s he look like, this friend-slash-brother of yours? I assume he’s Fae, too?” The woman recovers quite well, Fenrys notes. Other than the small hesitation, she doesn’t seem too concerned about the fact that he isn’t human.

“Mm-hmm. Tall, couple of inches taller than me, black hair and black eyes, warm brown skin, probably wearing dark grey layered clothes. He would’ve been around here anywhere in the past year or so.”

“He got pointy teeth and ears, too?”

“Yeah. And his other form’s a huge osprey.”

The woman nods at this, and her eyes brighten in recognition. “Yeah, an osprey came through. Shifted or whatever. Had a meal or two here and then went inland. Didn’t think much of it - we’ve still got Fae up here, you know - but he’s way bigger than our Fae are. Come to think of it, you’re bigger than our Fae.” The woman looks him up and down, seemingly unconcerned about the table between them. “What’re you, Doranelle Fae?”

Fenrys chokes. “I- yes. We’re from Doranelle. But I’m friends with the Queen of Terrasen, and part of her court. My friend… we want him to join the court, too.”

The woman’s eyes grow wide, and she almost falls from her chair. “What?!” she exclaims. “You know the queen? The true heir of Mala light-Bringer and Brannon? You’re…” her voice lowers and her eyes, if possible, widen even further. “You’re in her court?” she squeaks.

Fenrys winces. Possibly he shouldn’t have just up and spilled. He tends to forget that while allegiance to Maeve would get people to help immediately, mostly out of fear, allegiance to Aelin has a much different connotation. Yes, some people fear his new queen, but most revere and look up to her.

“Yes. Er… you wouldn’t happen to know where my friend went, would you?”

The woman blinks. “Yes? He went inland, said something about going town to town, village to village. He was looking for someone too, another Fae.”

Fenrys nods. “I know. Did he say where he’d go next?”

The woman looks a bit taken aback. “Uh, I don’t know. I think he was heading west? I told him not to go too far, or he’d hit the Wastes, and have to deal with witches. He didn’t look too concerned… say, are the Doranelle Fae as amazing fighters as they say you are? We have a few young ones looking to join the Bane, and they’d just about die if you’d be gracious enough to teach them…” the woman trails off, raising her brows hopefully.

Fenrys shakes his head, trying to seem regretful. “I would love to, honestly, but I’m afraid I have to find my friend. After I find him, I’m sure one of my brothers would be glad to come up and show some techniques to the boys here,” he adds, hoping she’ll take the bait and leave him alone. He does mean it. After all, if he manages to find Vaughan because of the woman’s information, then the whole village deserves a reward. They just don’t have to get it from him. _In fact,_ he thinks to himself, smiling inwardly, _this is exactly the kind of thing Lorcan can do. That bastard hasn’t done anything useful in ages._

Fortunately for Fenrys, one of the few customers in the _Bosom_ starts drunkenly summoning the woman over for another drink, and she leaves to start working once again. Silently, Fenrys slips from the tavern, leaving the village behind. If the woman is to be believed, and he has no reason not to believe her, Vaughan had come by and then left, heading west.

\---

Eventually, Fenrys comes across another village, around the same size as the last. Entering the local tavern, _Temis’ Glory_ , he repeats much the same interaction, choosing to omit where he is from, who he answers to, and why he needs to find Vaughan. The man Fenrys talks to seems suspicious of him, but does pass on that a male matching Vaughan’s description came through the village, looking for someone, and then headed out further west.

Fenrys thanks the man and leaves, trying to decide what to do. Two villages are hardly a pattern, but it does seem that Vaughan had headed more or less straight west, wandering from village to village until he deemed himself far enough away from Maeve.

Fenrys isn’t as sure about Vaughan’s timeline. The two villages had seen Vaughan a week or two apart. However, it had taken Fenrys only a few days to get from one to the other. He supposes that could make sense, if Vaughan had wasted time, meandering along instead of taking the fastest or most direct route.

The real question, though, is what would Vaughan have done when he got to the mountains? Would he have decided to wait there, sequestering himself away and plotting up ways to kill Lorcan? That would probably appease the blood oath, and he could be his antisocial self away in the mountains, far from Maeve’s influence. He could also have continued on, heading all the way to the Wastes and westward. Fenrys doesn’t know what’s out there, but after meeting Ansel and Manon, he’s pretty sure it would not be fun.

The other option is that Vaughan struck south, following the mountains. Either way, Fenrys can’t track the male, at least not by scent, until he gets closer. Scents stay in the air and on surfaces for a while, yes, but not for the better portion of a year. Fenrys supposes his best bet, then, is to head west to the mountains, and see if he can pick up Vaughan’s trail when he’s closer. With luck, he’ll be able to establish which way the male went and find him.

\---

When he comes to the foothills of the mountains, deep within the Oakwald, he finds one last village. It’s a strange mix of faerie and human, and he guesses that the Little Folk have some sort of stake in the village.

The tavern here is named _Faerie’s Home_ , and it’s practically deserted. Fenrys makes his way to the bar, orders an ale, and asks the barkeep if he’s seen anyone matching Vaughan’s description. It’s mostly a useless gesture; judging from the lingering scents in the air, the _Home_ has not been cleaned very recently, and Fenrys can pick out faint traces of Vaughan’s brine and lightning scent. The male had always smelled of a stormy night on the sea, and Fenrys has long suspected that Vaughan was always unhappy in Doranelle because the City of Rivers was so far inland, about as far from the coast as anyone could get.

After all, Vaughan’s other form is an osprey. The male is extremely private, and Fenrys knows next to nothing about him. He does know that Vaughan had been born to a pair of fishers, and he had practically been raised on the sea. He had always loved to eat fish, the saltwater, ocean-dwelling kind, not river fish, and hated being too far from the sea. As far as Fenrys could tell, if Vaughan couldn’t smell the ocean, he was unhappy.

Perhaps that started to explain why Vaughan might’ve hidden here, deep in a forest, as far from the ocean as he could get. If Maeve were to track down what she considered a rogue male, she would assume he had used his bid for freedom to stay close to a shore and source of saltwater. Staying here would be near torture, and would be the last place Maeve would look. _Of course, it’s all a moot point since the bitch is dead,_ Fenrys reminds himself.

The barkeep grunts, tearing Fenrys from his thoughts. “Yeah, there’s a male in these parts. Great big ole bird, never seen the like.” He thinks for a moment. “Left maybe a week ago? Headin’ south, along the mountains. Stayin’ in the forest, though he hates it here, I can tell.” The man nods sagely and adds, “Say, he was lookin’ for someone. S’pose you’re looking for the same one, are ya?”

When the barkeep looks at him expectantly, Fenrys realizes he’s expected to answer. “Yeah,” he sighs. “I found who he’s looking for, and now I’m trying to find him.”

The man nods knowingly. “Mm-hmm. Yep. You go on south now. Follow the mountains. You’ll find him. Didn’t seem in a rush, that one.”

Fenrys nods back and musters a small smile. “I will. Thank you.”

After the man confirms Vaughan is nearby, Fenrys leaves the _Home_ , heading along a barely-there path into the woods. A week is plenty to still be able to track Vaughan’s scent, although it will most likely be relatively faint at first. Fenrys shifts into his wolf form and lets himself get lost in Vaughan’s scent, tracking the male. Fortunately for Fenrys, it turns out to be far easier than he had feared; Vaughan’s scent is more at home in a storm or by the coast. In a forest, deep in the middle of the continent, the twin notes of sea brine and ionized air are out of place. If he were tracking Rowan instead, it would have been far harder. The whole damn country smells like the prince consort.

After a few days of tracking, Fenrys comes to a small glade that positively reeks of Vaughan. He shifts in a flash of light and calls out, “Vaughan? Are you there?”

The only response is a dagger thudding into the tree trunk beside his head.

Fenrys rolls his eyes. It always amuses him how alike the various members of the Cadre are. This is, after all, exactly how Rowan had greeted him and Gavriel back in Skull’s Bay. “Vaughan?” he calls again. “It’s Fenrys. I’m not here to dag you back to Doranelle. Maeve’s dead.”

That seems to get an actual response. A large shape thumps to the ground in front of him, and Fenrys waves a hand in greeting. Vaughan rolls his eyes. “What?” he asks, striding forward and grabbing his dagger.

Fenrys nods. “Yeah. Aelin killed her during the final battle.” Vaughan still looks confused, or as confused as he has ever looked. Gods, Fenrys had forgotten how alike Lorcan and Vaughan were. Neither like to really talk or express emotion, although Lorcan has improved since meeting Elide. “You remember Aelin, right? Blonde spitfire? Dragged Rowan away from us? Pissed Lorcan off?”

Vaughan nods slowly. “Yes…” he finally says. “Why do I care?”

Fenrys sighs. “She and Rowan are mates. Maeve broke the blood oath with Lorcan and Gavriel and then kidnapped Aelin and dragged me along. When we got free, I broke Maeve’s blood oath and then swore it to Aelin to stay alive. She offered the blood oath to Lorcan as well.” Fenrys lets himself grimace at that. He still hates the bastard, after all. “Gavriel died in the war, but his son is Aelin’s cousin. She sent me to find you and offer you a place in her court.”

Vaughan tips his head to one side. “I see…” he finally says. “I knew something had happened with Maeve, because I can’t feel the oath anymore, but I didn’t realize… Well, then. If I am to join this court, I suppose we should make haste?”

Fenrys sighs once again. “You don’t have to, you know. You aren’t being forced to. Aelin wants it to be your choice. She doesn’t want you to be coerced.”

Vaughan shrugs. “If she wishes for me to join her court then I shall. I have nowhere else to go. Why would I choose to anger her by turning her offer down?”

Fenrys growls slightly. Gods, Vaughan can be infuriating. “Aelin isn’t like Maeve. She doesn’t know you at all. The only reason she sent me to get you was because I needed something to do and you are our friend. We missed you and wanted to see you.”

“I see.” Vaughan sounds unconvinced, and Fenrys sighs.

“Vaughan. How about this? You and I go back to Orynth. We talk to Rowan and Aelin and Lorcan and Aedion. Then you decide, for yourself, what you want to do. Surely there’s something you want from life rather than just join the court of a queen you don’t even know?”

Vaughan shrugs. Then he says, “And Connall? You didn’t mention him.”

Fenrys can feel his entire body tensing. His throat tightens, but he manages to choke out, “Maeve killed Connall. Months and months ago.”

Vaughan’s eyes widen. “Oh, gods,” he says softly, before murmuring a prayer in the Old Language. He takes in a deep breath and then says, “How long will it take to get to this queen?”

Fenrys nods, accepting Vaughan’s prayer and the change of subject. “Orynth is a couple weeks away? Maybe? It’ll be faster if you fly and I run.” He glances around before adding. “Gods, we’re in the middle of nowhere.”

Vaughan nods, and seems to be done talking. This is part of what Fenrys always hated about the blood oath and the other males of the Cadre. All of them were happy to brood and be silent and grouchy. Fenrys always needed something to do, some noise to make. Of course, Maeve had abhorred unnecessary noise, so really Fenrys was doomed from the start.

\---

As promised, it takes a couple of weeks before Vaughan and Fenrys make it back to Orynth. Aelin, Rowan, and Lorcan are waiting to greet them when the pair arrives. Vaughan seems to relax slightly at Lorcan’s presence, though it’s hard to tell. Most of the time they get along fine, but, like any two people who match just a little too much, they can get into arguments that last months, or in one memorable case, almost a full decade.

Rowan gives Vaughan a quick shoulder clasp, which Vaughan dutifully reciprocates. He turns to Aelin and says, “You’re the queen? Rowan’s mate?”

Aelin raises her chin and stares him down, even though he’s got at least half a foot on her. “I am, yes. And you’re Vaughan. The osprey.”

Vaughan grunts in response, and Aelin nods, accepting it.

Lorcan steps forward. “Don’t just pledge yourself over,” he says, glancing at Aelin. The blonde rolls her eyes but lets him continue. “She won’t give you orders you don’t want, but don’t feel the need to swear yourself to her cause just because we already have.”

Vaughan cocks an eyebrow and asks, “Then why did you?”

Lorcan sighs and hangs his head. “My… Elide. Aelin wouldn’t let me into her country if I didn’t swear the oath, and Elide’s the Lady of Perranth. Swearing it was the only way I’d ever see her again.”

Vaughan gives Lorcan a look. He finally grunts and then turns back to the queen. “What would I do if I didn’t swear the oath to you? Everyone I know and even moderately care about is in this room.”

Aelin shrugs. “Lorcan’s situation is… unique. He’s not allowed in my country without the blood oath forcing him to protect it. You, on the other hand… I don’t think you’re a threat, not with Maeve dead and my court on my side. So you will be allowed to stay, live, whatever in Terrasen without an oath hanging over your head.” Vaughan visibly relaxes a bit at that. Fenrys wonders if perhaps he had been worried Aelin would kick him out of her country, forcing him to roam, untethered, until he found some place to live.

“That said, I don’t know that you’d be happy here,” Aelin continues. “Rowan and Lorcan tell me you never really liked land, and always preferred to be near the sea. So I might have an idea. I have an… acquaintance, shall we say, who is now the Pirate Lord and King of the Skull’s Bay Archipelago. That is about as close to sea as you can get and not drown.”

Aelin takes a breath, glancing at Vaughan to make sure he’s still paying attention. He nods, and she continues, “So, if you decide you want to be part of my court but don’t wish to stay in the mountains, I can make you my personal envoy to Skull’s Bay. Rolfe and I have never really gotten along, but he respects strength. He probably wouldn’t accept some weak-willed envoy, anyway. If you decide not to join my court, you can always move to Skull’s Bay and see if you can become a sailor. From what Rowan and Lorcan have said, that might appeal to you more than simply being a warrior brute.”

Vaughan nods slowly. “I think I want to go to Skull’s Bay, then,” he finally says. “Maeve never let me stay near the ocean.”

Aelin nods. “Good,” she says, clapping her hands together slightly. “I’m glad. Of course, if you stay there long enough and get bored, you can come back. None of us are going anywhere.” She looks around and frowns. “Oh, except Lorcan. He’ll die in, what, 70, 80 years or so?”

Vaughan raises his eyebrows slightly but still nods. “If it doesn’t offend you too much, I would like to become a sailor. I don’t… I don’t like the mountains very much.”

Aelin nods. “Then Terrasen is definitely not the place for you. Do come and visit us though. Rowan, Lorcan, and Fenrys miss you.”

Vaughan nods. “Now that we are free to do as we please, I will come visit you and your court once a year.”

Aelin snorts. “Very well. Would you like me to write something to Rolfe explaining everything?”

Vaughan shakes his head. “I think I’ll be good. Thank you for the offer, but I would rather be accepted on my own merit, not because I happened to be recommended by someone else.”

Aelin shrugs. “Probably just as well. Rolfe’s more likely to hate you if I recommend you. Maybe don’t mention me until after you’re secure?”

Vaughan nods. “If that’s all, then?” Fenrys, Rowan, Lorcan, and Aelin nod, and Vaughan shifts. The flash of light subsides to reveal a giant osprey flying away, southeast, out towards the Pirate Lord and his island kingdom.

“Well,” Aelin says. “I’m sorry he didn’t want to stay.”

Rowan shrugs. “Vaughan has always been at home near the ocean. With Doranelle where it is, I think it was even more painful for him. He hates fresh water more than anything, says it feels and smells wrong. I think he would’ve been miserable here, friends and family or not.”

Aelin nods, accepting this. “Then I wish him the best of luck in finding what he loves and discovering where his life should go.”

**Author's Note:**

> I have written a sequel to this! It is a multichapter fic following Vaughan's story now that he is free to live his own life. Feel free to check it out: [An Osprey in a Pirate's World](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28793439/chapters/70611618).


End file.
